Spotlight on Impact Archive

What does it take to lead?

Retired U.S. Army Col. Dave Miller is in charge of the Maj. Gen. W. Thomas Rice Center for Leader Development, which offers a minor in leadership studies that roughly 80 percent of cadets earn. The center, made possible by a $2 million donation in the late 1990s, also organizes the annual Cutchins Distinguished Lecture, which most recently featured Presidential historian and best-selling author Michael Beschloss. When asked what it takes to lead, Miller cites, “the three Cs,” which he outlines below.

Competence: “People want to know, ‘Do you know your job?’ and are you willing to work hard to learn those things that you do not know.”

Courage: “You have to be willing to make the hard decision because it’s the right thing to do, as opposed to taking the easy way out.”

Compassion: “You have to have a genuine concern and care for the people that work for you, and it’s not something you can fake.”